Sustained high speed with greater efficiency for longer timespan. Personally, I am not a racer, but I am most comfortable riding above 90 cadence, especially on long climbs. I can hold this sort of cadence for 10-15kms and more of climbing. Drop it to 60-70 and I will be panting and slowing badly after 3-5kms.

g-boaf wrote:And for some hills, it can be better to just stand and pedal that way. On a single-speed, you've got no other option. I do know why you'd use 100+rpm, and I've done it for various reasons (and then changed back to slower cadence), but I'm interested in your thoughts.

For sure there is merit in varying your cadence and position on some hills, especially long climbs and/or variable gradients. Short climbs may be better climbed at speed by honking out of the saddle. This is generally less effiicient than seated climbing over a longer climb though. It is simply of value occasionally for the variety to your muscles.

Watch the cadence of the TdF riders and other pros. Generally they spin at high cadence, much higher than the ordinary 'bloke on a bike'. Juvenile riders are gear-restricted in races on track and road for just this reason - to train them into good pedalling habits.

You can watch them, or you can work out a plan (in my case, with a former pro racer) and do the training and learn/improve through that. That's where you get surprisingly big gains, quite quickly.

I've done the slow cadence thing to start with and then the riding at 110+rpm for extended periods of time and now back to slower cadence (but I can do both). And for shorter periods, really high cadence. There are all manner of reasons why you might use one or the other depending on the situation and what you are intending to do. Some of them are tactics, others are to do with what you can handle best (and is most comfortable for you).

Last edited by g-boaf on Thu Mar 13, 2014 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

J_L_C wrote:Im pretty sure I have a 16/44 or 46. I find that flat is fine, hills can struggle and downhills there is no point pedaling.

Change it to fixed gear. Then you'll keep pedaling.

I think you'll get used to the hills eventually - that comes with time. Over time, it won't feel like such an effort. It won't happen overnight - but it does happen, trust me.

il padrone wrote:I don't race so training is something that I don't do - I just ride a bike.

You might be surprised how it can benefit your everyday riding. I actually do some racing, but I don't really say a lot about it. It has sharpened up some bits of my riding but I have a lot of work ahead of me yet.

J_L_C wrote:Im pretty sure I have a 16/44 or 46. I find that flat is fine, hills can struggle and downhills there is no point pedaling.

So you're either using a 74" or a 78" gear.

Il Padrone, g-boaf, AKO and I have all suggested that you're working too hard and too slowly.

Big loads can be faster but come at a greater cost in terms of fatigue and stress on joints.

Do you have access to a gym? Try doing an exercise like bicep curls and see how many reps you can do with a 5kg weight with your dominant hand. Then do five times that number with a 1kg weight in your non dominant hand. You will find that you can lift the same total weight much more easily doing lots of little efforts rather than a few big efforts. You will also find that you recover more easily too. That's not to say that mashing around in big gears doesn't have a training purpose, but it's not a good thing for general riding.

My 4YO can tear a phone book in half with his bare hands...

It is easy if you do it one page at a time.

A smaller gear will help with the hills, and if you coast down the hills anyway there is no need for a bigger one.

Your bike is a cleaned up bike from the 70s/80s isn't it? There may be a few cheap options for changing the gearing, depending on what you've already got.

g-boaf wrote:You might be surprised how it can benefit your everyday riding. I actually do some racing, but I don't really say a lot about it. It has sharpened up some bits of my riding but I have a lot of work ahead of me yet.

I actually had a moment when I could have chosen to pursue racing. A good friend did go in for it - he went on to Bronze Medal at Seoul and four or five times Australian MTB Champion. I had better things to do with my time, riding my bike and travelling, touring with friends. That was 33 years ago, the idea of taking up racing now, for me, is a bit of a joke. I still have better things to do with my riding time.

Thanks g-boaf but Im not really sure that Fixed is for me yet, maybe after gaining abit more cycle skills.

Ironhanglider thanks for the gearing, they confuse me abit. It a 70's Kabuki/Bridgestone with standard 16t freewheel and $40 crankset. Dont really want to buy another as I only just finished it but if its gonna make a huge difference then I may be persuaded.

Im also looking for a job and I think if I get one, I think Im gonna save up and get a good 2nd hand roadie.

Jordan

'Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.' AE

J_L_C wrote:Thanks g-boaf but Im not really sure that Fixed is for me yet, maybe after gaining abit more cycle skills.

Ironhanglider thanks for the gearing, they confuse me abit. It a 70's Kabuki/Bridgestone with standard 16t freewheel and $40 crankset. Dont really want to buy another as I only just finished it but if its gonna make a huge difference then I may be persuaded.

Im also looking for a job and I think if I get one, I think Im gonna save up and get a good 2nd hand roadie.

J_L_C wrote:Thanks g-boaf but Im not really sure that Fixed is for me yet, maybe after gaining abit more cycle skills.

Ironhanglider thanks for the gearing, they confuse me abit. It a 70's Kabuki/Bridgestone with standard 16t freewheel and $40 crankset. Dont really want to buy another as I only just finished it but if its gonna make a huge difference then I may be persuaded.

Im also looking for a job and I think if I get one, I think Im gonna save up and get a good 2nd hand roadie.

Whatever would get you to 65 - 70 Gear Inches cheaply. There are lots of ways of achieving this. My first 'fixie' was a 21x8.

I've already given you the formula. You need to count teeth, to know what you've got. You then need to work out the easiest/cheapest way of achieving that. Cogs are not hugely expensive and can also be scrounged, similarly with chainrings. You've already found the bike from somewhere you might get lucky with bits too.

BTW the ideal gear will depend on where you ride, how you ride, who you ride with, weather. There are always compromises to be made.

The bigger gear you've got (either 74" or 78" from what you've supplied) you have would be ok for fast rides on the flat or bunch rides. Going from a 16T cog to an 18T cog would be nicer for your legs, and better for general riding around. Either 66" or 69" depending on whether it is actually a 44T or 46T.

BTW have you got any means of holding your feet to the pedals? Attaching your feet makes it easier to keep your feet moving smoothly at high speed, and lets you use different muscles particularly at low speed or when you are out of the saddle. There are lots of variations on the theme but they all achieve the same thing albeit with different methods.

I recounted and found its actually 18/46 god knows how I counted 16 before. I notice on the crank that the arm can be seperated from the chain ring. Do I go bigger for easier climbs?Ive seen toe straps before, but dont have any. Are they worth getting I think I get that with the straps you can pull the pedal meaning you can use different muscles. Is there a way to make your own for a quick fix before I get chance to go to bike shop?

Thanks Jordan

'Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.' AE

46-16 on a 700C wheel works out to about 68.9", so not quite so otrageous. Fine for flat roads, and even OK for hills. I find that 65" on my SS is good for hilly riding and have a 73" gear for flat roads. I always keep the payload on this bike light so honking up the hills out of the saddle is very easy.

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